Lebanon Stuck over New Government on Eve of Deadline

Lebanese Prime Minister-designate Mustapha Adib is having trouble forming a government, with Tuesday being the deadline, according to a promise made to French President Emmanuel Macron. Adib met on Monday with Lebanese President Michel Aoun, but without bringing a list of his choices for cabinet posts. Reports have cited clashing views on who should run the all-important Finance Ministry, which would play a central role in efforts to salvage Lebanon’s economy, which has been severely damaged by foreign debt, not to mention cronyism and corruption brought on by the country’s deeply entrenched system of sectarianism. Macron has promised to lead an international recovery program, but only on condition that Lebanese leaders agree to sweeping reforms. During a September 1 visit by the French president, his hosts promised that there would be a new government within two weeks. The previous government resigned in the wake of the catastrophic August 4 Beirut port explosion, which killed at least 190 people and left hundreds of thousands at least temporarily homeless.